Vinny Maddalone is a club fighter. Always has been, always will be. But on Thursday night Vinny had one major victory – he made Tomasz Adamek look like a club fighter too. As expected, Adamek beat Maddalone by knockout, putting him on the canvas and overwhelming him with combinations. It came to a head in the fifth round, as Tomasz landed a sharp left hook that dropped Vinny hard on his rear. Maddalone was right up, good to go, then Adamek poured on the punches. Very few landed at first, and Vinny was punching back… then Vinny was a punching bag. Maddalone wore himself out defending and trying to counter and Adamek was able to land flush with some thudding shots that convinced Vinny’s corner to jump on the apron. They threw in the towel and saved their man from further punishment.

As important as the win, though, is how Adamek got the win. Frankly, he looked just like Vinny Maddalone only a bit quicker. Adamek looked like a glorified club fighter, fought like won, and won like one. From the onset you could tell that the New Yorker Maddalone was going to plod his way through the ring head hunting. Adamek was quicker, landing jabs and double jabs, then stepping in to hurt Vinny to the body with three punch combinations. That was basically the whole story in rounds one, two, and three. But it was sloppy. Adamek was fighting at Vinny’s level. Then came round four and Maddalone’s corner had finally convinced him to throw jabs – and they landed. Adamek responded with a flurry of pitter-patter hooks that landed mostly on Vinny’s gloves till he stepped straight back and Tomasz caught him with a lone straight right. But later in that same round Vinny landed three seperate, wide, ugly, rounded, looping power shots of his own. They were telegraphed from a mile away and not set up with a jab; yet Adamek still ate them. And one of them even unbalanced Adamek, wobbling him. The fifth round still came though, and the inevitable happened as Adamek won.

It just seems as though Tomasz came down in class this time. Not only in terms of opponent but in terms of his own style. He fought at Maddalone’s level, looking rough and amatuerish. This was barely more than a bar room scrap. Maddalone was the older, slower version of Tomasz with a jelly belly and mediocre head movement. In a night where Adamek could’ve come in looking crisp and dominate, he instead looked like partially wilted lettuce. Crunchy at times but mostly limp and flavorless.
Now don’t count Adamek all the way out yet. He’s looked better in the past and against a better opponent he can raise his game again. Afterall, he did score the knockdown and the knockout. He’s 43-1 and has won twelve fights in a row. He gave the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey something to chant for and cheer about. And he held on to his IBF International and NABO titles with this win. He’s still in the running for some big fights. But he better come in like a boxer next time, not a back alley brawler. Just sayin’ is all.

Related posts:

1. Adamek and Maddalone press conference quotes
2. The Big Challenge: Tomasz Adamek vs Michael Grant – Round By Round
3. Adamek Beats Estrada